$2K budget for a computer.. what would you do?

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dbleoslow

Senior member
Feb 17, 2005
237
0
0
I agree with previous posts. Dell or Dell outlet and get kick arse monitor and speakers. I realize most of us love putting together PCs but we can also deal with the troubleshooting. I wouldn't do a build for a friend because if something is foobarred, you will be responsible. If you get a Dell, something breaks, call Dell for her and get it replaced.
 
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coomar

Banned
Apr 4, 2005
2,431
0
0
Originally posted by: peter79
Originally posted by: mettleh3d
Originally posted by: peter79
I'd get a sonata, an A64 4400+ (she'll enjoy that alot more then a GF7).
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I'm not calling your friend ignorant per se, but you think she'll notice the damn high speeds of a 4400+ over a A64 2800+? Girls (those who dont care for electronics) dont care for electronics. I'd doubt they'd know/appreciate the difference.

help her shave unnecessary costs.
Click to expand...

I think anyone would benefit from dual core. Especially people who don't know a lot about computers. She can have one core for windows + ALL the spyware , the other core for whatever she is running
Click to expand...


exactly, let all the spyware have its own cpu
 
C

coomar

Banned
Apr 4, 2005
2,431
0
0
x2 4200 (won't need the extra cache)--> $557.00
http://labs.anandtech.com/links.php?pfilter=1767

MSI nForce4 Ultra (939) K8N Neo4 Platinum (if this is the one with the crazy onboard sound)-->$124.50
http://labs.anandtech.com/alllinks.php?pfilter=1314

Connect3D Radeon X800XL 256MB--> $249
http://labs.anandtech.com/alllinks.php?pfilter=1710

Patriot PC-3200 2x1024MB Extreme Performance Low Latency-->232
http://labs.anandtech.com/alllinks.php?pfilter=2077

Seagate SATA 250GB 7200RPM 8MB Barracuda 7200.8-->115
http://labs.anandtech.com/alllinks.php?pfilter=1258

you have 3 bills to get case/PSU/speakers, keyboard/mouse/OPtical drive
people seem to feel this monitor can be got for 400
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/Prod...tail.aspx?c=us&cs=04&l=en&sku=320-4111
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=40&threadid=1630615&enterthread=y

 
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batmanuel

Platinum Member
Jan 15, 2003
2,144
0
0
1. case
Antec Sonata II - $120
The SLK3000 cools better, but the Sonata has more style with the glossy black paint job, plus it comes with a pretty nice PSU.

2. power supply
450W SmartPower II comes with the Sonata - Free
Not the beefiest PSU in the world, but it is more than enough to run what she needs.

3. cpu
Athlon 64 X2 4200+ - $559.00
Dual core all the way. You could probably save money by getting a nice single core processor, but the dual core chip is going to feel a lot smoother to her during normal day to day usage once (virus and adware scanners running in the background while she is playing MP3s as she does her normal computer work), so she'll really feel like she's getting her money's worth.

4. board
Chaintech VNF4 vanilla - $76
If she's not overclocking, she probably doesn't need anything too fancy. This board has the NF4 chipset and PCIe graphics and plenty of SATA ports. It'll get the job done and it doesn't have an annoying chipset fan like most of the other NF4 boards.

5. memory
Corsair Value Select 1GB kit (2x512MB) - $79.99
The A64s don't need anything fancy and 1GB of RAM should be enough for normal use right now. If you need 2 gigs, you can always put in another pair later. You're not going to be running 1T with the cheap stuff anyway.

6. hard drives
Seagate 7200.8 series SATA. The 250GB will run you around $130 or so, and it is a good place to start capacity wise. Get a second drive and mirror them if she has any data she seriously needs to keep.

7. optical drives
NEC 3540 DVD+RW - $50 and dropping.
Does everything you need an optical drive to do. You can also get a version of the slightly slower 3520 that comes with Roxio Easy Media Creator 7 for around the same price.

8. heatsink/fan
Zalman CPNS7700AlCu - $34 at Amazon.com.
She'll likely want a quiet system and this HSF fits the bill. If she doesn't mind a bit more noise, you can stick with the stock HSF that comes with the retail X2s.

10. lcd
Dell 2005FPW - around $500 (depending on the coupons available)

Wider is better. Also, I'd personally stay away from the LG90+ and other 8ms response time LCDs, since are 6-bit dithered panels and don't reproduce colors as well as the slower 8-bit panels like the Dell Ultrasharps. Only hardcore gamers that can't stand to see ANY ghosting are they only people who need the 6-bit panels' speed. For general useage an 8-bit is usually much nicer. The similarly priced 2001FP has a bit more screen real estate if she wants maximum workspace.

11. video card
GIGABYTE GV-RX80256D Radeon X800 - $240

A good card, but not overkill like the 7800GTX is. It'll let her run just about any game pretty decently on the Dell. It is passively cooled, so it won't be noisy in her quiet case. The Gigabyte X800XL and 6800GT cards are an option if she needs more gaming power. If she is just going to be using it for office apps and the like, you could probably get by with a passive X300 or 6200TC and save some cash for other nice upgrades like an Audigy for better quality sound.

The running total for all this comes to around $1800 or so once you factor in tax, shipping and whatnot. With the extra $200, I'd recommend also getting Windows XP MCE 2005 for the OS. You need and OS anyway, and MCE has most of the goodies that XP Pro does plus the Media Center features. If she wants to watch TV on her computer, all she'll need is a decent tuner card (like a WinTV PVR 150 or a Sapphire Theatrix 550 for $70-$80) and MCE will take care of the rest.
 
GuitarDaddy

GuitarDaddy

Lifer
Nov 9, 2004
11,465
1
0
Originally posted by: batmanuel
1. case
Antec Sonata II - $120
The SLK3000 cools better, but the Sonata has more style with the glossy black paint job, plus it comes with a pretty nice PSU.

2. power supply
450W SmartPower II comes with the Sonata - Free
Not the beefiest PSU in the world, but it is more than enough to run what she needs.

3. cpu
Athlon 64 X2 4200+ - $559.00
Dual core all the way. You could probably save money by getting a nice single core processor, but the dual core chip is going to feel a lot smoother to her during normal day to day usage once (virus and adware scanners running in the background while she is playing MP3s as she does her normal computer work), so she'll really feel like she's getting her money's worth.

4. board
Chaintech VNF4 vanilla - $76
If she's not overclocking, she probably doesn't need anything too fancy. This board has the NF4 chipset and PCIe graphics and plenty of SATA ports. It'll get the job done and it doesn't have an annoying chipset fan like most of the other NF4 boards.

5. memory
Corsair Value Select 1GB kit (2x512MB) - $79.99
The A64s don't need anything fancy and 1GB of RAM should be enough for normal use right now. If you need 2 gigs, you can always put in another pair later. You're not going to be running 1T with the cheap stuff anyway.

6. hard drives
Seagate 7200.8 series SATA. The 250GB will run you around $130 or so, and it is a good place to start capacity wise. Get a second drive and mirror them if she has any data she seriously needs to keep.

7. optical drives
NEC 3540 DVD+RW - $50 and dropping.
Does everything you need an optical drive to do. You can also get a version of the slightly slower 3520 that comes with Roxio Easy Media Creator 7 for around the same price.

8. heatsink/fan
Zalman CPNS7700AlCu - $34 at Amazon.com.
She'll likely want a quiet system and this HSF fits the bill. If she doesn't mind a bit more noise, you can stick with the stock HSF that comes with the retail X2s.

10. lcd
Dell 2005FPW - around $500 (depending on the coupons available)

Wider is better. Also, I'd personally stay away from the LG90+ and other 8ms response time LCDs, since are 6-bit dithered panels and don't reproduce colors as well as the slower 8-bit panels like the Dell Ultrasharps. Only hardcore gamers that can't stand to see ANY ghosting are they only people who need the 6-bit panels' speed. For general useage an 8-bit is usually much nicer. The similarly priced 2001FP has a bit more screen real estate if she wants maximum workspace.

11. video card
GIGABYTE GV-RX80256D Radeon X800 - $240

A good card, but not overkill like the 7800GTX is. It'll let her run just about any game pretty decently on the Dell. It is passively cooled, so it won't be noisy in her quiet case. The Gigabyte X800XL and 6800GT cards are an option if she needs more gaming power. If she is just going to be using it for office apps and the like, you could probably get by with a passive X300 or 6200TC and save some cash for other nice upgrades like an Audigy for better quality sound.

The running total for all this comes to around $1800 or so once you factor in tax, shipping and whatnot. With the extra $200, I'd recommend also getting Windows XP MCE 2005 for the OS. You need and OS anyway, and MCE has most of the goodies that XP Pro does plus the Media Center features. If she wants to watch TV on her computer, all she'll need is a decent tuner card (like a WinTV PVR 150 or a Sapphire Theatrix 550 for $70-$80) and MCE will take care of the rest.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup:

 
Z

Zepper

Elite Member
May 1, 2001
18,998
0
0
It's a rare female that REALLY likes any large black object in her living space. Look at the Chenming 118 or the silver/blue Enermax venus as a basis for your system.

.bh.
 
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batmanuel

Platinum Member
Jan 15, 2003
2,144
0
0
Originally posted by: Zepper
It's a rare female that REALLY likes any large black object in her living space. Look at the Chenming 118 or the silver/blue Enermax venus as a basis for your system.

.bh.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Shuttle XPCs are also a good choice, since they take up just a small amount of space. The ST20G5 model even has DVI out on the ATi XPRESS200 chipset and supports S939. It's a bit pricey at the $350 street price, but you could probably get it to work in your budget if she doesn't need to game AT ALL. It even has a x16 for upgrading the graphics if she needed that capability in the future.

 
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bunnyfubbles

Lifer
Sep 3, 2001
12,248
3
0
Originally posted by: Zepper
I'd take $1000. and spend it on a computer and take the other thou and buy some gold and silver (small bullion coins). The world economic situation could easily go to hell in a handbasket quite rapidly.

.bh.
Click to expand...

And who said gold and silver would be worth much if such a time comes. Buying something that is of value because you can use it is worth more than coins in such a senario, guns are always useful ;)
 
B

batmanuel

Platinum Member
Jan 15, 2003
2,144
0
0
Originally posted by: bunnyfubbles
Originally posted by: Zepper
I'd take $1000. and spend it on a computer and take the other thou and buy some gold and silver (small bullion coins). The world economic situation could easily go to hell in a handbasket quite rapidly.

.bh.
Click to expand...

And who said gold and silver would be worth much if such a time comes. Buying something that is of value because you can use it is worth more than coins in such a senario, guns are always useful ;)
Click to expand...

Sad part is that I have a lot of money that I owe in the form of fixed low interest rate student loans, so I'm actually HOPING for a period of rampant inflation, since it will make that money I owe worth a lot less in "real" dollar value as my income rises in response to the inflation rate (hopefully).

 
Zebo

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
This has it all where it counts.. best processor, best video card, wide screen LCD..etc. you should make few compromises IMO when spending 2k.

1. Cheap $25 case about a thousand choices
2. Rosewill 550 35A 12 $50
3. 4200+ X2 $530
4. Epox 9NPA3J $80
5. Corsiar value ram PC3200 $70
6. Seagate 160GB Barracuda SATA $90
7. NEC 3520 $50
8. Stock HSF
10. Dell 2005 $420
11. BFG GeForce 7800 GTX OC $600

=$1915
 
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